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| High Rollers: Inside the Savings and Loan Debacle | 
 enlarge | Author: Martin Lowy
Publisher: Praeger Publishers
Category: Book
List Price: $117.95
Buy New: $46.87
You Save: $71.08 (60%)
Buy New/Used from $46.87
Avg. Customer Rating:  (3 reviews)
Sales Rank: 1073052
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 9.8 x 6.3 x 1.2
ISBN: 027593988X
Dewey Decimal Number: 332.320973
EAN: 9780275939885
ASIN: 027593988X
Publication Date: July 30, 1991
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Market forces, not scoundrels, destroyed the savings and loan business. So says Martin Lowy in what is truly an inside look at the savings and loan crisis. Drawing upon his experience as a practicing attorney, bank officer, and savings and loan director, Lowy provides an expert account of the problems that have overwhelmed the nation's savings institutions and their government regulators. High Rollers is the first book on the S&L crisis that provides an analytical groundwork for technical and nontechnical readers--so that both can comprehend what happened. Lowy's clear, readable style allows him to quickly describe the origins of the problems in new market forces and new technologies, and how the problems grew out of control as a result of regulatory mistakes and congressional inaction. Even his discussions of real estate lending practices and accounting issues are, in the words of Professor Horvitz, "both clear to the novice and instructive to the professional."
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| Customer Reviews:
Objective and Broad in Scope May 19, 2008
This book rather rigoursly breaks down how the S&L crisis occured. It also breaks down some rather technical points and tries to present them in a manner understandable for the reader. I would admit that it may come across as a little dry and detailed for some. On the other hand, those familiar with the technical aspects of the lending and financing topics may find that same material a bit remedial. I do think that this is the best book I have read that addresses the crisis from a policy perspective. It starts with the foundation of the S&L industry and the policies put in place (and in some cases the lack thereof) that lead to its crippling collapse. It does an excellent job of detailing blame/cause but also suggests inevitability at the same time. The author does present, at various stages of the crisis, what-ifs? This presentation was done well as it was 'salted' with the feasibility of implementing these what-ifs at the time.
The author has a gift of constantly putting the various topics and issues into their proper perspective. As an example, the author noted that the outright fraud committed by institutions prior to insolvency was comparatively small compared to the overall number of institutions that were failing and ultimately did fail. I would strongly urge all of those in the policy and regulatory aspect of the financial services industry (even those outside of banking and lending) to read this book as a good primer on causes of financial crises and policy (and political) steps that can exacerbate rather than resolve a situation. As the author points out repeatedly (and with well supported and sounded arguments), the crisis may not have been avoided altogether, however it could have been minimized substantially. Unfortunately, because of lack of political will, lack of technical understanding and a fundamental failure to truly appreciate human nature, the outcome was not inevitable, but doubtless.
I would argue this is a must-read for congressional staffers, policy makers, regulators and any law enforcement agencies whose work involves them in the financial services sector as well as those in middle to upper level management of financial services companies.
Simply excellent review of the S&L Debacle September 11, 2007
I doubt this book sold many copies when it came out in 1991. As Lowy notes the issue is too dull and complex for most people to care about. However his history of such quality -drilling down into the issues and more importantly personalities involved in the scandal- that those with even a passing interest should read this book. Well done!
excellent, detached overview June 24, 2007
This is really a great description of the S&L debacle. He explains the roots of the failure (government-set maximum mortgage rates *below* the price of capital), the shenanigans to try to keep the walking dead alive in spite of guaranteed negative returns, plus the overall background of lending for property development. Extremely educational and a great background for the repeat performance happening now in the mortgage lending industry.
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